The USDA small lots of seed permit lets you import limited quantities of most seeds into the United States without the phytosanitary certificate a foreign government would otherwise have to issue. The permit is free, it is issued by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and it is open to hobby gardeners, researchers, arboreta, horticultural societies, and small seed companies alike. In exchange for skipping the foreign certificate, you agree to strict rules on quantity, labeling, cleanliness, and how the package moves through a USDA inspection station on its way to you.
Which Seeds Are Not Eligible
Most ornamental and garden seeds qualify, but several categories are shut out of the program entirely and need to be handled through a different pathway or not imported at all.
- Tomato and pepper seeds, in any quantity.1Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Seeds With Special Requirements and Prohibited Seeds
- Seeds that require mandatory treatment before entry: okra (Abelmoschus), chestnut (Castanea), hibiscus (Hibiscus), sweet pea (Lathyrus), lentils (Lens), oak (Quercus), the citrus family (Rutaceae), and fava bean or vetch (Vicia).1Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Seeds With Special Requirements and Prohibited Seeds
- Any species designated as a federal noxious weed under 7 CFR 360.2eCFR. 7 CFR Part 360 – Noxious Weed Regulations
- Taxa listed as Not Authorized Pending Pest Risk Analysis (NAPPRA).3eCFR. 7 CFR 319.37-4 – Taxa of Plants for Planting Whose Importation Is Not Authorized Pending Pest Risk Analysis
- Pelleted or coated seeds, seed tape, and seeds embedded in growing media.1Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Seeds With Special Requirements and Prohibited Seeds
Genetically modified seeds sit on a separate regulatory track. If the seed is a “regulated article” under 7 CFR Part 340, you need a biotechnology permit and cannot use the small lots pathway.
CITES-listed seeds are eligible, but with strings attached. You still get the standard PPQ 587 permit, and you may also need a PPQ 621 permit if you are importing commercially. The overseas seller has to secure a CITES certificate from their own government, and a commercial shipment also needs an import/export license from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement.1Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Seeds With Special Requirements and Prohibited Seeds4U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 3-200-32 Export/Re-Export of Plants and Plant Products Under CITES
How Much You Can Import
The size limits are set in 7 CFR 319.37-6(b). Each packet may contain no more than 50 seeds of a single taxon, or no more than 10 grams by weight of a single taxon. A single shipment may contain no more than 50 packets.5eCFR. 7 CFR Part 319 Subpart H – Plants for Planting Anything over the 50-packet cap is subject to seizure and destruction at the port of entry.
Labeling and Packaging
Every packet has to be labeled with the scientific name (genus at minimum, species preferred), the country of origin, and the name of the collector or shipper.5eCFR. 7 CFR Part 319 Subpart H – Plants for Planting A common name on its own will not do, and any mismatch between the label and the species listed on your permit gives inspectors grounds to reject the shipment.
Packaging can be any typical seed packaging, including clear resealable plastic bags and gas-permeable packets. It does not have to be transparent, but it does have to be sealed well enough to prevent spillage.6Federal Register. Importation of Small Lots of Seed Without Phytosanitary Certificates
Cleanliness Rules That Actually Get Shipments Destroyed
This is where most small lots imports fail. The entire shipment must be free from soil, plant material other than the seeds themselves, foreign matter or debris, seeds still in the fruit or pod, and any living organisms including insects, snails, mites, and parasitic plants. Seeds must also be free from pesticides.5eCFR. 7 CFR Part 319 Subpart H – Plants for Planting
A little dried fruit pulp on a seed coat or a few grains of soil in the corner of a packet is enough for inspectors to destroy the whole shipment. You do not get a refund on shipping. Talk to your overseas supplier about cleaning before the seeds go in the mail, not after.
How to Apply for the Permit
The application is PPQ Form 587, Application for Permit to Import Plants or Plant Products, submitted through the APHIS eFile portal.7USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. PPQ Form 587 – Application for Permit to Import Plants or Plant Products There is no fee. The one exception is a $70 charge for the PPQ 621 Protected Plant Permit if you are commercially importing CITES-listed species.8USDA APHIS. Guidance to Applicants for Permits to Import Plant Material for Scientific Purposes
Before you can use eFile, set up a USDA eAuthentication account at Level 2. Verification pulls questions tied to your Social Security number, and if the online check fails after too many tries, you will have to finish it in person at a USDA service center.9Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. APHIS eFile Create Application Overview
On the application itself, you need the full scientific name (genus and species) of every variety, the country where the seeds were collected, and the port of entry where the shipment will arrive. Choose the “Small Lots of Seed” option so the application routes to the right review team. Vague descriptions like “wildflower mix” get applications kicked back.
One approved permit covers multiple shipments during its validity period, so you do not have to reapply every time your supplier sends a package.
What Happens After Approval
Along with the written permit, APHIS sends you physical Green and Yellow mailing labels (PPQ Form 508). Forward one to your overseas supplier. The supplier affixes the label to the outside of the package and places a domestic waybill inside so inspectors can send the seeds on to you after clearance.10Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Import Regulated Soil Require Black, White, Green, Yellow Label
Every small lots shipment routes to a USDA Plant Inspection Station or the Plant Germplasm Quarantine Center in Beltsville, Maryland, and never directly to your home.5eCFR. 7 CFR Part 319 Subpart H – Plants for Planting Inspectors confirm the seeds match the permit, check the labeling and packaging, and look for prohibited material. If everything passes, they repackage the seeds and send them on using the domestic waybill inside.
If the seeds fail inspection because of contamination, undeclared species, or mismatched paperwork, they will be treated or destroyed at your expense. Packages that arrive without a Green and Yellow label, or that bypass the inspection station and go straight to a home address, are typically seized and incinerated by Customs and Border Protection. There is no appeal that will recover a shipment sent to the wrong address.
Penalties for Breaking the Rules
Under the Lacey Act, a simple failure to properly declare a plant shipment carries a civil penalty of up to $250. Knowingly violating the declaration requirement, mislabeling contents, or trafficking in illegally obtained plant material pushes the civil ceiling to $10,000. Criminal penalties reach five years in prison and $250,000 in fines for an individual when the imported plant material has a market value above $350, and one year and $100,000 for lesser offenses.11USDA APHIS. Frequently Asked Questions About Lacey Act Declaration Requirements
APHIS can also revoke your permit outright for noncompliance, forged or defaced labels, or false statements on your application, and can deny future permits. After revocation, you are responsible for surrendering, destroying, or removing any regulated seeds covered by the permit, at your own expense.12Federal Register. Consolidation of Permit Procedures; Denial and Revocation of Permits For a hobby grower trying to bring in a few rare seeds a year, losing future permit eligibility is often the outcome that hurts most.